Dehu Grammar

APPENDIX
Texts

la awane toa kuCa la nameSin la ate dehu #
The way to do the burial the man Lifu;

to la n£6ei sine i aneiS as« a tawa toa wane la
go the all friends of him all arrive to eee the

arielc* a ifii / r\e e meSi has aneiC /
he ie sick; and if dead ie he

te kola ha wa<5a kowe la nj*6ei sine i aneiC ka hape
then Qne then says to the all friends of him to say:

meCi h« I
dead is;

mate to anat a tawa toa feta hune la wezipo #
then go they arrive to watch over the corpse:

me to anat a tawa Sememine la Ite waemek me ite xen /
and go they arrive .with the gifts and the foods

koko me ite jzfni / mate toa feta hune la wezipo 4
yams and the meats in order to watch on the corpse;

e ase he anat feta / la ite sine ne la wezipo /
if ended ie they watch the friends of the corpse

te ewaemeken to a min n#ne uma mit^t #
then first go pray in house holy;

kola pane min n#ne la nalapa #
one first pray in the house;

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100

age ha / kola xom kowe la uma mittft
finished is one takes towards the house holy

toa mln n#ne la uma mit^t #
in order to pray in the house holy;

e Supene hs la na kelem / to la n#6ei at ass me
when ended is the funeral, go the alt men all and

ite sine ne la wezlpo a pane Selapa memine la kern
the friends of the corpse first remain with the father

malne 61n / toa Selapa-me nido toa aupuni nido §
or mother go remain with them to console them two;

e eupene ha lai / anat a 16e la nameC me
when ended is there they leave the funeral and

humuOe la lte 0nl #
kill the meats;

eupene lal to la lapa kaCahal a kuCl tene
after that go the family all give money

pi koi ite maeine 1 anelC #
then to the uncles of him;

malne f# pena / to a nitene pi koi ite xa

if women also go give money then to the sisters

i aneiC §
of him;

Cel« hi la awane meCi ne la ate dehu lai /

e

there is the way of death of the man Lifu then

me awane ihuliwakeu i anat lai §
and way work together of him there.

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TRANSLATION

The way of burying a Lifu man. All of his friends will
arrive to inspect his illness; and if he is dead, it will be
announced to all his friends: he is dead. Then they will
arrive to keep watch over the dead man. They will arrive to-
gether with gifts and food, yams and meat, in order to watch
over the corpse. When the vigil is over, first of all the
friends of the dead man go to pray in the church. But first
one prays at the house. After this, he is taken to the church
to pray in the church. When the burial is over, all the people
and the friends of the dead man first remain with the mother or
father. They remain with them in order to offer consolation.
After that, they leave the funeral and kill the beasts. After
that, the whole family gives money to the dead man's maternal
uncles. If it is a woman who had died, they give the money to
her sisters. This is the way of death of. a Lifu man and the
communal work involved.

Try on, D. T. 1967. Dehu Grammar.
Canberra: Pacific Linguistics B-7.